I just came back from a week of vacation. Now I know that most people will say, "So what!" Well, shut up, I'm going to tell you what. I just came back from a week of vacation that I am very proud of. It was a milestone for me, because for the first time in the history of me, I not only afforded a trip all on my own, I took my family with me. It was magical.
This year will mark five years since my life dramatically changed, in fact, this year would have been 16 years of marriage. It's strange for me to even think about how much my life has changed in this short amount of time. My married life feels like a lifetime ago, yet I still catch myself fiddling for a wedding band that's not there, yearning for a spouse that is living in another place, and wondering what might have been. Then I snap myself back into reality and I can't help but feel satisfied with where I am today. I look at how much I have accomplished on my own, at the goals I have set for myself and reached. Those goals I set for myself that I am so very close to getting, and the satisfaction of knowing that I not only did it on my own, but that I had the courage to seek help when I needed. We all get lost along the way and need a hand, it's those that are too proud to admit that, that struggle. I accepted help when it was offered, I offered help to others when I could, and I know the meaning of hard work. Those things have gotten me to here, to this place of peace, this place of accomplishment, this place where I can save up for and follow through with a vacation for my family. So, I get to be proud of myself, and I am, so your opinion doesn't much matter.
As I begin to take a foothold into this new life I have been dealt, I have found some bits of myself that I never knew were there. I have found an inner strength that has pulled me from the flames more than once, hell, it's pulled me out more times than I might care to admit. Knowing it's there, gives me hope for the future, confidence in myself that I can endure all that life has to throw my way. I am trying to teach my kids the value in that, the courage it takes to just say to yourself, "I am strong, and I can get through this." I cannot sit idle and watch my life pass me by. I will make my own path, I will find my own way, and I will not look back on a life of "What could have been". To have that kind of strength is only something that you can find when you have no other choice, when falling apart is the only way you can come together.
So I am making it on my own, I am pushing forward and I hope that as my life grows into something beautiful, I will too. I want to make a difference in my life, for myself and my kids. Perhaps someday, for others too. I have big dreams, and big goals, I will keep working for them and keep inspiring myself to do the things that scare me, the things that make you want to step back are usually the things that make life worth living. So my advice to you is live fearlessly, do the things that make you feel alive, and take the trip.
Until Next Time...
